One

Monday, November 24, 2014

Cathy Astolfo is an award winning
novelist of the ‘Emily Taylor’mystery
series and so much more. After a successful career in education Cathy turned
her sights to storytelling. Get yourself comfy and find out what makes this
author tick.

Jamie:

•Thanks Cathy for being
our victim on Jamie Tremain’s blog. Can you tell us where you get the ideas for your
stories?

Cathy:A friend
of a friend who read my first book assumed I’d had some kind of trauma in my life. I told her it was being an
elementary school teacher! Seriously, though, every single one of my books and
stories have roots in reality. Something I’ve read, seen, watched on television, heard about…and I confess, theses events can be pretty horrific. Evil happens and I
am intrigued! I think it’s a desire to understand how and why
people perpetrate terrible actions on others—and control it. After all, in a crime story, the author can punish the
bad guys and reward the good. Unlike reality, where sometimes there is no happy
ending. Be careful—I might be using one of these conversations in
a book…

Jamie:

•You wear many hats as a
wife, mother, grandmother and a large extended family. Are you disciplined when it comes to carving
out the time needed to create novels?

Cathy: No, I’m terrible. I can’t advise anyone on how to carve out
the time, because I don’t do it. I write a book every two
years when I could easily do one a year, except I socialize a lot. I don’t regret my choices, though. Family and friendships are very important
to me.

Jamie:

•What’s the best writing advice you’ve ever received?

Cathy: To persevere. Never give up if you want to be
a published author, if you want to share what you write. I would write no
matter what, of course, but I’ve always had an impulse to have
others hear and read what I write. It’s not easy to acquire an audience,
however, especially in Canada. Many times I have almost given up and then I
suddenly remember that advice.

Jamie:

•Which fictional character do you wish you had created?

Cathy: Atticus
Finch. I fell in love with him many years ago when I read To Kill A Mockingbird
for the first time. He’s flawed, real, yet a thoughtful,
brave and loving man. I still adore him!

Jamie:

•Which fictional character do you wish you were?

Cathy: Tom Joad.
I would’ve liked to be as brave and committed to making
a difference as the character in The Grapes of Wrath. I have always been far
too comfortable with my life, I think, to risk everything. He was forced by
circumstances to either collapse or forge ahead and try to change the world. I
have always admired him and wished I could be so courageous.

Oh boy, these
are good questions! Do you realize I’ve chosen two male characters? This
might have to go into a novel some day.

Jamie:

•If you’re like so many of us, you have a pile of ‘next to be read’books –what are you reading at
the moment, and what do you hope to read next?

Cathy: Right now
I am reading Deryn Collier’s second novel, Open Secret. I love
Deryn’s writing, characters and plot twists. Next I
will finish reading, “Lethal Ladies”. I’ve read Rebecca by Daphne Du Maurier, but not
the other two. My sister-in-law gave me the collection because these are early
female crime/mystery writers that she thought I would enjoy.

Jamie:Would you ever consider
collaborating? Could you?
Cathy: I am currently collaborating on a movie script, so I would definitely consider doing that with a novel. Don't know if I could, though. Since I am not a scheduled person and write at erratic intervals. I would probably drive my writing partner nuts. Then again, maybe it would be good for me!

Jamie:

•Do you have a preference of writing either a novel, short story
or being involved in an anthology?

Cathy: I
honestly have no preference. I love the writing process, whether it leads me to
a short piece or a longer one. I write anything! Poems, scripts, short stories,
novels. This doesn’t mean that everything I write turns out to be
something anyone else would want to read, of course! I love the short
story/poem for its challenge of choosing the perfect words, because you are
forced by brevity to choose very wisely. I love the novel for its ability to
really explore a character or describe a setting or follow a plot path that
winds in surprising directions. Being involved in an anthology is so much fun
because you have others to market alongside. (Did I mention that I dislike the
marketing side of being an author? Being with writer friends helps a lot!) You
pool your contacts and resources and it’s a wonderful experience.

Jamie:

You have justlaunched“Sweet and Sensual”with five other authors published by Imajin Books. Six romantic novels
in one package. Tell us about this experience.

Cathy: My
publisher at Imajin Books, Cheryl Tardif, is a master of marketing. I would
follow her to the ends of the earth! I was a bit shy about having Sweet
Karoline included in this bundle, since it’s not a classic romance the way some of the others in the anthology are.
It’s more in the Gone Girl style of romance! But
as always, some of my best friends are included here, and that makes it fun. I
met these wonderful women through writing and am eternally grateful that they
are in my life, whether virtually or in person.

Jamie:

•What is next for Cathy Astolfo? After all your promotion gigs,
book fairs, library readings etc, have you a work in progress or do you take
some down time before starting your next project?

Cathy: As usual,
I have several projects on the go. One is a script rewrite, which I hope to
complete by the end of this month (November) alongside my nephew. We’ll give it to my daughter to promote. (She’s a co-owner/producer of Sisbro & Co. Inc., a film production
company.) After that, I plan to complete my novella, Up Chit Creek, an adult
cozy mystery. Then I’m on to finish my young adult book, Saylor
Hammett. See what I mean by erratic?

Thanks Cathy for sharing your writing life with us. Good luck with the movie script.

Catherine
Astolfo retired in 2002 after a very successful 34 years in
education. She can recall writing fantasy stories for her classmates in Grade
Three, so she started finishing her books the day after her retirement became
official. Her short stories and poems have been published in a number of
Canadian literary presses. Her story, "What Kelly Did", won the prestigious
Arthur Ellis Award for Best Short Crime Story in 2012.

In the fall of 2011, she was thrilled to be awarded a
four-book contract by
Imajin Books for her Emily Taylor Mystery series (previously
self-published), and has never been happier with this burgeoning second career.

Catherine's books are gritty, yet portray gorgeous
surroundings; they deal with sensitive social issues, but always include love
and hope. They're not thrillers, but rather literary mysteries with loads of
character and setting. And justice always prevails. Her most recent novel from Imajin Books
is Sweet Karoline, a psychological suspense. Sweet Karoline hit the top ten of
Amazon Canada on its first day of release.

Saturday, November 22, 2014

Since I was born around the time of the ark, those of you
under forty may not know what I am going on about. I’m talking about the iron
and ironing board. Yes I know, many of you thought they'd been demolished
years ago with the advent of permanent press fabric and no iron shirts etc.

I first learned to iron in home economics class when I was
fourteen along with ‘How to make an omelette’ and ‘How to knit a pair of socks
on four needles'.

When I first married I followed in my mother’s footsteps. She ironed
everything. I stopped ironing the tea towels and underwear when our new dryer
took out most of the creases. But I soldiered on and kept ironing even though I
worked full time and raised three children.

I love linen clothes and the way to wear them is wrinkled. I
just can’t do it. Nothing like a crisp shirt or blouse and my steamer works out
the wrinkles in jackets or pants. Now before you say it…no, my husband does not
iron. That is another blog! He does not want to take the pleasure of ironing
away from me! I swear the steam keeps my complexion, well if not dewy its not dry. I’m sticking with that story.

So what has this to do with writing you ask?

My back has been bothering me for some time and I think it's because of all the sitting at the computer. My friend Vicki Delany writes
from a standing position in her kitchen. She props up her laptop on a wall into
the kitchen and voila. We all know how prolific Vicki is.

Soooo, the old grey cells were working as I thumped away at
the ironing board enjoying the steam bath. I wanted to jot down some notes so I
asked my grandson Riley to bring me my laptop to my permanent ironing
station in the bedroom. I had an AHA! Moment

I hung up the crisp ironed shirt and moved the steaming instrument
to the floor and set up my new office.

The board can be raised up and down to suit me and if I get
tired I can sit. There is room for my coffee and a notebook. What more does a
writer need? Now if I can only get my laptop to steam.

Its a good spot for plotting. Hmm , gives me an idea for a murder. Either the steam or the hot iron.

This is now the perfect height. And I can still watch the birds outside.

Check out the blog on Monday 24th. Read all about the indominable Cathy Astolfo chat about her writing life.

Monday, October 27, 2014

definition: To be executed by
electrocution in the electric chair:Webster’s dictionary

Dietrich:
Thank you for inviting me, Pam and Liz, it’s nice to be here.

Jamie: Your short stories have been published widely and you
were a finalist with a screenplay at a Los Angeles festival. How do you compare
the discipline in writing a full novel with short story writing?

Dietrich:
I started writing short stories, thinking a novel would be overwhelming at
first. It allowed me to play around with different genres, see what felt best,
and above all, to find my voice. When I finished one, I submitted it for
publication while working on the next. Getting a short story accepted and
occasionally getting feedback from an editor sure helped me learn and gain
confidence along the way.

When
I tackled my first novel, I liked its expansiveness and being able to extend
the conflict, bring in back story, develop and focus on additional characters
and build in subplots, something that wouldn’t be possible in a short story. I
can’t say I like one form over the other, but having written quite a few short
stories before I began a novel taught me to keep it tight and aim to maintain a
page-turning pace.

Jamie: Do you identify with Karl Morgan the
bounty hunter or Miro Knotts the lowlife drug dealer? Just wondering… about
research. Were you a bad boy in your youth?

Dietrich: Miro Knotts is the kind of character a reader will
likely love to hate, there’s not much that’s sympathetic about him. Readers are
more apt to like Karl Morgan. I guess there are aspects of him that I identify
with. He’s basically a good guy who makes a lot of poor choices that keep him
living life on the edge. Was I a bad boy? Not really. I don’t have a lot of
experience with some of the elements in the story, so I had to do a lot of
research for this one.

Jamie: Do you plan to write a series featuring
Karl Morgen?

Dietrich: I never intended Ride the Lighting to kick off a series. Karl learned
enough from his mistakes throughout the course of the story that I think he’s
not likely to repeat them in the future. I did borrow a minor character from
the story though. Dara Addie becomes a main character in the next novel called The Deadbeat Club, scheduled for release in 2015, ECW
Press. She’s a year older, a little wiser and twice as edgy.

Jamie: What are you currently writing or are
you busy promoting Ride
the Lightning.

Dietrich: I write full-time, so I have plenty of time to do
both. I start early every day and write till noon, which leaves me lots of time
for promoting Ride the Lightning. I just
finished another crime story set during the heyday of the Barbary Coast, and I
started working on a new one involving some smugglers set in Vancouver in
present time.

Jamie: Most writers started out with other
careers – what occupations have you held while developing your writing career?

Dietrich: I was a graphic designer/art director all my
working career. I really enjoyed the work, but in the back of my mind there was
a story teller dying to be heard. I penned my first attempt at a novel when I
was sixteen, wrote it in longhand and kept the loose-leaf pages in a shoe box
under the bed. Never did anything with it, but I knew writing was something I
would return to one day. It took a heck of a long time from that first attempt,
but here I am.

Jamie: Bouchercon 2014 will be underway in
November. What is it about writing
conferences that appeal to you personally?

Dietrich: It’s great to get together with other writers, see
old friends and make some new ones. Writing is a solo effort, so events like
Bouchercon allow writers to get out of their caves and socialize. I’m raring to
head to this year’s Bouchercon in Long Beach.

Jamie:
How long was Ride
the Lightningin the works until it was published this spring?

Dietrich: It took three months to pen the first draft and
about another nine to edit it into shape. I sent it to a handful of agents and
publishers that accept submissions over the transom. When I got an email from
Jack David at ECW Press, saying he wanted to publish the story, I nearly tipped
off my chair.

Jamie: When not writing how do you like to
spend your time?

Dietrich: Cooking, hiking, painting, playing guitar, taking
photos, and I read a lot.

Jamie: You share black and white photography on
your Facebook page – how did you become interested in this art form?

Dietrich: I’ve always loved photography as an art form. I
directed a lot of photo shoots and took commercial shots when I was in the
graphics industry. Now, I just like to get out into the city with a camera and
look for something interesting to shoot. Going through Europe with a camera and
a backpack is near the top of my bucket list.

Jamie: Has any particular author inspired your
writing?

Dietrich: There are many great authors with incredible voices
that have inspired me: Hunter S. Thompson, Ken Kesey, Jack Kerouac, Charles
Bukowski, Tom Wolfe, William S. Burroughs, Leonard Cohen, just to name a few.
As far as crime fiction, I am a huge Elmore Leonard fan. No one did it better
in my opinion.

Thanks Dietrich for sharing your writing life
with us. We wish you continued success with your future novels.

You can also catch him at Bouchercon
in Long Beach CA, taking part in the panel ‘Round the world for murder’ on
Saturday, Nov. 15 at 3:00 PM with Erin Mitchell, Cara Black, Sara Blaedel and
Barry Lancet

Or at Book Warehouse, Main Street,
Vancouver, Nov. 19th for an evening of crime fiction with fellow
Vancouver authors Owen Laukkanen, Robin Spano, E.R. Brown and Sam Wiebe.

Dietrich
Kalteis's short stories have been widely published, and his screenplay Between
Jobs is a past finalist in the Los Angeles Screenplay Festival. Dietrich lives
in West Vancouver, BC, and his debut novel RIde the Lightning was
published this past April by ECW Press.

If you enjoyed this interview,check back next month as we grill Cathy Astolfo.

Thursday, October 9, 2014

Those of you who follow me on Facebook would have seen a
photo I posted on Monday as I began a long awaited few days away. The drive up
to Wasaga Beach only took a couple of hours.
Fall colours are well underway, but the weak sunlight failed to
highlight the colours to their full beauty.

Still it was a nice, uneventful drive and we arrived early afternoon at
the “resort” previously booked online. Let me digress a moment. With a modest budget to plan a few days
away, the selection was limited. But we believed we had found reasonable value
while booking through Hotels.com and were excited to know we had three days to
wind down. A pile of books, decks of
cards and no definite plans equalled some serious R & R.

Wasaga Beach is definitely geared to summer time tourists
and this time of year is much quieter; the lodging was only a block from the
beach! With sweaters and flannel hoodies I didn’t care about the cold as long
as rain didn’t interfere. Anticipated
walks along the beach awaited.

Oh how photos can deceive. The booking promised a suite with
living area and two separate bedrooms plus kitchenette. Perfect! Upon check in we were led to our unit by a
pleasant woman who advised that because it’s not summer season, there would be
no regular housekeeping. Not a problem –
meant if we decided to veg in front of the TV or read all day we’d not be
disturbed.

But - you know when you get those ‘red flags’…..?

Red Flag #1 – opened the door to our unit (across the lot
from the parked car) and wondered if the aroma wafting out was unique to the
area – best description - cinnamon laced
bleach. Ok, it meant the room has
recently been cleaned, not a bad thing.
But I’d have preferred a less intense scent to whatever commercial
cleaner had been used. And even with
windows opened the smell never seemed to lessen.

Red Flag #2 – no phone in the unit. Huh…guess its assumed everyone has a cell
phone these days, but then how would we contact the service desk if there was a
problem? (ie how can we get rid of this
smell!)

Red Flag #3 came when I looked into my bedroom (and I use
the term loosely) where a double bed filled most of the room. A miniscule bedside
table with a reading light made for a Barbie doll completed the décor. No dresser, not even a fold up luggage stand
to put my suitcase on. A tiny alcove of
a closet with mismatched plastic hangars would be it for unpacking. The bed had seen better days, but hey, I’m
the type of person who can sleep pretty much anywhere so I wasn’t
concerned. (That would be Red Flag #4,
if you’re keeping count)

At least the unit was clean. Handy to the beach, and shopping
we wanted to do. And shopping we did – I
bought a small bed side light knowing that the one provided would not suffice
for my planned reading binges. With
only a ceiling light in the living area – no light beside the couch, there’d be
no reading there. Oh, the couch. Yes, that got covered quickly with a spare
sheet before either of our derrieres made contact. Not exactly a large couch either, the only
other seating available were two mismatched chairs meant for the kitchen table, and one of those was pressed into service as a coffee table.

T

he bathroom was clean – but just like the kitchen and
sitting area, the curtains were not exactly sewn for privacy, if you get my
drift. Looked for the light switch – and
looked. Not in the room itself, or by
the door. However, around the corner –
BEHIND the fridge, I found it. Imagine
the middle of the night, stumbling to the washroom and groping past the coils
of the fridge to find the switch. Yep.

Light Switch!

Finally came time to call it a night. Managed to fit my CPAP machine on the tiny
bedside table and was too tired to read.
Ah…time to drift off to sleep. Or
not…listened to the rain, and tried, and tried, to get comfortable. The bed creaked and groaned more than a
haunted house. Sleeping right on the box frame might have been softer! At least using my CPAP machine allowed me to
escape the cinnamon/bleach bouquet for a while.
(2 days later and at home, I still get whiffs of the scent when using
the CPAP).

Needless to say the next morning, after comparing notes on
both bedrooms, we decided there was no way we’d be able to spend another night,
so we packed up and left. Ironically the
office didn't even question why we were leaving after just one night.

The day wasn’t a total loss, sun shining and breezy; a walk
along the beach came to pass. A drive
into Collingwood and more time spent by the water satisfied the urge to be by
the lake, if only for an hour or too.

All in all, an interesting start to a week of vacation. But
next time, a thorough review on Trip Advisor will be the rule of thumb…in
hindsight reading about our accommodation after returning home showed the
concerns raised by other travellers. At least I did gain a new reading light.

And now, Thanksgiving approaches, and despite the
disappointment of a flubbed vacation, there is so very much to be thankful for.

This month’s interview will feature Deitrich Kalteis – be sure to check
back for that later this month.

Monday, September 29, 2014

We met Cathy Ace at the Bloody Words conference this past June. A
transplant from Wales to Vancouver, British Columbia, Cathy is, after a
successful career in marketing, doing what she loves best. Writing traditional
mysteries. The fourth book in the Cait Morgan Mysteries is about to be
launched.

‘The Corpse with the Platinum Hair’ brings us to our first question.

Pam:

As
exciting as it must have been to have your first book published, when did you
feel you ‘had made it’ as an author?

Cathy:

To be
perfectly honest, Pam, I don’t think I have, yet, though maybe it’s a feeling
I’ll get one day. I still think it’s very early days in my writing career. I
know I’m incredibly fortunate to have a publisher so supportive of Cait’s
adventures, and, indeed, there are two more books in the series in the works
for 2015, but “made it”? Not yet. I am still learning, and am enjoying every
moment.

Pam:

You are
plowing through all the body parts in the titles of your books. Do you intend to keep going with that theme?

Cathy:Absolutely! It’s great fun, and I hope folks think it works. Of course, while
some titles are more literally true (eg: Platinum Hair) many are metaphorical,
and I think that’s just fine. On the horizon are corpses with Sapphire Eyes,
and a Diamond Hand!

Pam:

Reading
your books I have vicariously travelled to the south of France, B.C.’s wine
country, Mexico and now Las Vegas in the Corpse
with the Platinum Hair. Now that’s the kind of research I would like. Did
you travel to all these spots for atmosphere?

Cathy:I
know I’m a lucky girl, and, yes, I know all the places I write about very well.
I used to spend three or four months each year in the south of France; I live
only three hours away from BC’s fabulous wine country; I’ve been fortunate
enough to spend quite a bit of time on the Pacific coast of Mexico, and Vegas?
I LOVE Vegas. Just over two hours away, by plane of course, it’s close enough
for weekend jaunts. In 2015 Cait travels to Wales, where I was born and raised
(I didn’t migrate to Canada until I was 40) and she also gets to cruise the
Hawaiian Islands on a luxury liner – something I’ve been fortunate enough to do
myself, indeed, my husband and I were married in Honolulu. After that? Well, I
know where she’s off to in 2016 . . . but I think my publisher would like me to
keep that to myself for now. Suffice to say I know the countries well, and the
locales too . . . though I am planning return trips there to “double check” my
facts!

Pam:

You were
telling us about a new series you are starting. I love the premise. Women of the W.I.S.E. Wales, Ireland, Scotland and England. Can you
tell us more about it? We could travel to Scotland for some research if you
like!

Cathy:

I really
enjoy writing the Cait Morgan Mysteries, and I’m delighted that a lot of people
like to read about a travelling, foodie, not-so-amateur sleuth and her retired
cop “significant other”. But a change is as good as a rest, or so they say, and
I’ve always enjoyed Sue Grafton’s Kinsey Millhone books. I put those two things
together with my own British background, and came up with The Women of the WISE
Enquiries Agency. They are a group of women from different backgrounds, who
have formed a private enquiries agency, based in London.

Carol Hill
is in her thirties, Welsh, married and finally, very happily, pregnant. She’s a
computer whizz, and is the office based person in the group. The Honourable
Christine Wilson-Smythe is the daughter of an Irish Viscount, in her late
twenties, very beautiful, very bright, and very single. Intrepid, and as
fearless as only those under thirty can be, she sees life as an adventure. Mavis
MacDonald is in her early sixties, just retired from her final posting as a
matron in the British Army, a widow with two grown sons, grandchildren, and an
aged mother who lives at a care home in Dumfries, Scotland, which is where
Mavis grew up before she began to travel the world as a nurse. Mavis knows how
to treat people from all walks of life as real human beings, and she has a good
business head on her shoulders. Then there’s Annie Parker—her parents moved to the
East End of London from St Lucia before she was born, so Annie’s blood might be
an Afro-Caribe mix, but she’s as Cockney as they come, and loves living in The
Big Smoke. A sharp tongue hides a vulnerable soul, and she’s decided, now she’s
in her early fifties, that she’ll never get married, but relies for company
upon her mum, Eustelle. Annie’s nuts about anything gumshoe, but these aren’t hardboiled
PIs, they are women who enquire, and each possesses a unique skill set which
allows them to work well as a team. In this first book of the series they are
called to a stately home in Wales to investigate the Case of the Dotty
Dowager.

Liz:

If I were
to travel to Wales (which I’d love to one day!) give me one or two ‘must see’
destinations not in the guide books.

Cathy:Being a Swansea girl I will suggest you start there—the Gower Peninsula is in
all the guide books, and rightly so, because it’s stunning. You’ll even find
entries about an area called The Mumbles. But the hidden gem? Joe’s Ice cream
parlour in The Mumbles—I have eaten ice cream on several continents, and Joe’s
is THE best! A chocolate sundae at Joe’s is on my MUST DO list whenever I visit
my mum and sister, who still live in Swansea! Also, (and again with a food
theme—surprise, surprise) in a part of the Gower called Rhossili, there’s a
little place I love to visit. When I was little it was called “Thomas’s”, so
that’s how we refer to it within the family, but it’s been renamed The Bay
Bistro, and it has a great, small, locally sourced menu, and a stunning view of
the beach. When you’re full of lovely local food, you can walk out to the Worm’s
Head (Google it!). Of course, back in Swansea you should visit The Brangwyn
Hall, to see the world-famous panels painted by Frank Brangwyn, and drop into
the Dylan Thomas centre, celebrating Swansea’s most famous literary figure.
(Psst! A couple of these are mentioned in Cait Morgan’s fifth book, The Corpse
with the Sapphire Eyes, which is set in a castle on the Gower Peninsula!)

Pam:

You
recently became Vice-President of Crime Writers of Canada. www.crimewriterscanada.com/Multitasking must come easily for you.
Deadlines for a new series, social networking, travelling to conferences and
family time. When do you write?

Cathy: You know, this is one of those question where the answer keeps
changing. When I wrote my first two books I was working as a University
lecturer, but then I “retired” (for the second time in my life—I’m making a
habit of it!) and thought I’d have more time to write. And, indeed, for a while
I did. But now? Now I usually write first thing in the morning for a few hours,
then get other stuff done, then, when everyone’s gone to bed around 9.30pm I
start again, writing through until about 2am. It’s quiet, and my mind seems to
work well at that time. But I’m not someone who writes every day. Well, I do,
but not my novels. Those I write in short, sharp bursts for four weeks, with
all the plotting, planning, time-lining, and character development done ahead
of time, then I sit down and can hardly stop!

Liz:

If Cait Morgan were to be brought to life through film or television –
have you an actor in mind to play the part?

Cathy:

If Catherine Zeta Jones would be prepared to gain 80lbs, allow herself
to be aged a few years, and get her hair grayed, she’d be perfect (except for
the blue eyes!) It’s the accent, you see . . . there aren’t a lot of
Swansea-born actresses with that transatlantic twang that creeps in after a few
years, and she’d have that off pat. Funnily enough, when I recorded the first
two Cait Morgan books for Audible, the recording engineer said I sounded a bit
like her! Yes, we grew up together (I’m a fair few years her senior) and I knew
her when she was a child and as a teen, so I suppose that explains the
similarities.

Pam:

There is a profusion of writing advice on the Internet. Were you
influenced by anyone in particular when you started writing your books? And I
don’t mean Agatha Christie!

Cathy:

Confession—I have never read a book about writing, or attended a course
about writing, in my life. It’s a bit embarrassing, really. I just write the
way I do, and hope folks enjoy listening to the voices in my head! My overall
goal is to tell good stories, without the words getting in the way. My ultimate
hope is that readers feel as though they have experienced my books, rather than
that they have read them.

Pam:

I think we all agree that writing conferences are a wonderful way to
give and receive support for ones endeavours. We have made many friends along
the way from attending Bloody Words and Scene of the Crime. These conferences
are unfortunately no more. Will we have to travel to Portland Oregon for ‘West
Coast Crime’ www.leftcoastcrime.org/2015/ or can you as VP at Crime
Writers envision a large conference in Canada we can attend? Not that I am averse to Portland. I’ll see
you there when our book is published

Cathy:

This past twelve months has given me the chance to attend my first ever
conferences. I began with Bouchercon in Albany, NY in September 2013, then Left
Coast Crime in Monterey, CA, in March 2014, Malice Domestic in May, the
Canadian Libraries Association conference in Victoria, BC, also in May, Bloody
Words in Toronto in June, the Special Libraries Association conference in
Vancouver in June, the American Libraries Association conference in Las Vegas
in June, and I enjoyed them ALL. This year I can’t make Bouchercon, which is
annoying because it’s in Long beach CA this year, so a much easier journey, but
I hope to go in 2015. I know what you mean—it’s a great opportunity to meet
fellow authors, but it’s even more fun to meet readers, and that’s why I’ll be
attending Left Coast Crime in Portland in March 2015 and Malic Domestic in
Bethesda, MD in May—when I get to celebrate my birthday with a group of
like-minded lovers of traditional mysteries!

I have no secret information about any future Canadian crime
conferences—sorry!

Pam:

You have had success with short stories and anthologies and your work
has been produced for BBC4. Tell us about your experience listening to your
words broadcast over the radio.

Cathy:

To hear
what I had written expertly performed by the wonderful actress Alex Kingston
(she was Dr. Corday in ER, and, given that I’m such a huge Doctor Who fan, I
will always know her as Doctor River Song) made me shiver. It’s very strange to
hear your words coming from someone else’s lips, in someone else’s voice. The
second of my short stories was performed by another excellent actress, Glenne
Headly (she was the female lead in the super movie, Dirty Rotten Scoundrels)
and was just as thrilling. Both stories featured strong female central
characters – something I seem to do a lot! It was such a proud moment—being in
Vancouver, on the phone with my mum and dad in Wales, listening to BBC Radio 4
as the first story was first broadcast. THAT was very special.

Jamie
Tremain:

Thanks
Cathy for sharing your writing life with us. Congratulations and have fun and
good sales at the launch of The Corpse
with the Platinum Hair and your new series.

Thanks so much for having me
along!

Having fun at Bloody Words in
June 2014

Cathy Ace loves crime! It’s true –
she discovered Nancy Drew in her local library, then found Agatha Christie on
her Mum’s bookshelves, and she never looked back. Cathy happily admits that the
characters she met between the book-covers as a child have influenced her
writing. “Nancy Drew was plucky, strong and independent, and Agatha Christie’s
puzzles engaged me every time. I love the sort of book that mixes intricate
plotting with a dash of danger, and that’s what I’ve tried to create with my
Cait Morgan Mystery Series.”

Her debut novel, “The Corpse with the Silver Tongue”, was published by
TouchWood Editions in March 2012.”The Corpse with the Golden Nose” was then
published in March 2013, and appeared on the BC Bestseller list for the first
time in April 2013. April 2014 saw the publication of “The Corpse with the
Emerald Thumb”, and the fourth Cait Morgan Mystery, “The Corpse with the
Platinum Hair”, will be released in September 2014.

Born and raised in Swansea, South Wales, Cathy is, like her heroine, now
a Canadian citizen. “Cait’s Welsh Canadian, as am I. They say ‘write what you
know’, so a short, plus-sized Welsh woman, who’s quite bossy, fits the bill!
But Cait and I are not one and the same: she’s got skills and talents I don’t
possess, and I’m delighted to say that I don’t usually encounter corpses
wherever I go!”

With a successful career in marketing having given her the chance to
write training courses and textbooks, Cathy has now finally turned her
attention to her real passion: crime fiction. Her short stories have appeared
in multiple anthologies. Two of her works, “Dear George” and “Domestic
Violence”, have also been produced by Jarvis & Ayres Productions as
“Afternoon Reading” broadcasts for BBC Radio 4.

“The Corpse with the Emerald Thumb” was published on 15th April 2014 and
will be followed by the publication of “The Corpse with the Platinum Hair” in
September 2014 (already available for pre-order/order).

Cathy is proud to be a member, and now Vice President, of Crime Writers
of Canada, and a member of Sisters in Crime.